Hanel's 30 points pace Patriots past Hawkettes
Source: The Norfolk Daily News
HASTINGS -- Chloe Hanel was unstoppable in leading Clarkson/Leigh to a 39-32 win over Hastings St. Cecilia Friday night at Chapman Gym.
Hanel's 30 points and 14 rebounds paced the Patriots to the Class C2-7 district 7 title and a berth in next week's state tournament. The win upped the Patriot record to 19-6 and broke the string of 12 straight years that the Hawkettes qualified for the state tourney.
"I'm not going to lie -- things were pretty stressful there down the stretch," Clarkson/Leigh Coach Matt Murren said. "Their press gave us lots of problems, but we still responded defensively and did just enough to stay ahead and secure the win."
Clarkson/Leigh opened the fourth quarter with a 31-22 lead after Hanel wowed the crowd by tipping in her own missed shot at the buzzer ending the third stanza.
The 5-foot-11 senior guard opened the fourth quarter with another putback, but then it was the St. Cecilia defense that stole the show for the next five minutes.
The Hawkettes threw a press at the Patriots that forced six turnovers. Ryann Sabatka scored with a putback and Tatum Krikac hit a bucket and a pair of free throws to pull St. Cecilia to within 3, 33-30, at the 4:51 mark.
But the Hawkettes couldn't convert their success with the press into points in the final minutes of the game and were forced to foul.
"We made some mistakes, and their press really bothered us in the fourth quarter, but fortunately we had enough of a lead to stay in front of them," Murren said. "I have to give a lot of credit to our scouting. We caused some problems for them and it's because we had an idea of what to expect."
Hanel hit six of eight free throws in the last two minutes to secure the win for the Patriots.
"I'm so proud of the way we battled back," St. Cecilia Coach Greg Berndt said. "The press was very effective, and we had some really good looks. Took some really good shots. The ball just didn't go in."
St. Cecilia (18-5) trailed most of the game but got off to a hot start with Avery Kissinger dropping in a trey and Krikac driving the lane for four points in the first quarter to lead 7-1 early.
Hanel answered with four points of her own and Ava Kasik added a short jumper to give Clarkson/Leigh the lead until Kissinger got a steal and a layup in the waning seconds to give the Hawkettes the 9-8 advantage.
The lead didn't last long, however, as Hanel scored eight points in the second period and didn't miss a shot.
Clarkson/Leigh led 19-14 at halftime and extended that quickly to 25-16 after Baylee Settje hit a trey and Hanel added a couple layups from steals.
Murren said he was very pleased with the night, especially since starter Baylee Settje had her court time limited because of illness that came on during the game. Hanel, of course, played the biggest role.
"We're so lucky to have a player like Chloe," Murren said. "I can't say enough about her as a player. Obviously, she has a high basketball IQ, but her leadership when things got tough tonight was really outstanding."
Clarkson/Leigh8 11 12 8 -- 39
St. Cecilia9 5 8 10 -- 32
CLARKSON/LEIGH (19-6): Hanel 11-15 7-9 30, Kasik 1-6 1-4 3, Eisenmann 0-1 1-2 1, Brynn Settje 1-6 2-2 5, Baylee Settje 0-2 0-0 0, Indra 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-31 11-17 39.
HASTINGS ST. CECILIA (18-5): : Nathie Krikac 0-3 0-2 0, Parr 1-3 0-0 2, Kissinger 4-14 3-4 13, Tatum Krikac 4-11 3-4 11, Sabatka 3-6 0-0 6, Vargas 0-3 0-2 0. Totals 12-40 6-12 32.